Fifteen badass feminist leaders and human rights defenders from eleven countries joined Nobel Women’s Initiative online this past spring. All in their twenties, these women are leaders in changing the landscape for women and vulnerable people. During the program they experienced coups, military conflict, even an erupting volcano – as well as near constant challenges to their safety and personal security because of their relentless pursuit of justice. And yet, they persisted.
They concluded that while the dialogue around identities often divides us, the issue of power – who has it, how it manifests in our communities and workplaces, impacts our lives and our ability to drive progressive change, and how it is wielded in feminist organizations – is a central preoccupation that brings us all together.
Meet eight of these women and two of their mentors as they discuss and exemplify what power looks like at its very best: the power we have within, the power we build together, how we face overwhelming power that seeks to oppress us, and how we use the power of our imaginations to conjure up a vision of the loving and just world we are all working toward, together.